Method of and apparatus for making a bag enclosing a reclosing facility



May 7, 1968 F. e. PAXTON 3,381,442

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING A BAG ENCLOSING A RECLOSING FACILITYFiled Aug. 6, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet l FLOYD G. PAXTON.

INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

May 7, 1968 F. G. PAXTON 3,331,442

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING A BAG ENCLOSING A RECLOSING FACILITYFiled Aug. 6, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ilm , lmllii'l FLOYD G. PAXTON.

l N VEN TOR ATTORNEY.

May 7, 1968 F. G. PAXTQM 3,381,442

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING A BAG ENCLOSING A RBCLOSING FACILITYFiled Aug. 6. 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 FLOYD G. PAXTON' INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

May 7, 1968 F. e. PAXTON 3,381,442

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING A BAG ENCLOSING A RECLOSING FACILITYFiled Aug. 6, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet. c

FLOYD G. PAXTON.

INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 3,381,442 iETHGD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING A BAGENCLQSING A RECLOSING FACILITY Floyd G. Paxton, RU. Box 2098, Yakima,Wash. $8902 Filed Aug. 6, 1965, Ser. No. 477,797 7 Claims. (Cl. 53-28)ABS'ERACT 675 THE DISCLOSURE Modification of a conventional bagpackaging machine which forms, fills and seals plastic bags so that thisattaches a Kwik Lok type bag closure to the inner surface of each suchbag whereby, when said bag is opened at one end for withdrawing aportion of the contents, said closure may be detached from the bag andused to reclose the same to preserve the balance of the contents of thebag.

Background of the invention This invention relates to the pillow type ofbag formed of thin sheet plastic material and widely used today forunitized packaging of small quantities of loose products of variouskinds.

It is customary to form, fill and seal such bags on a conventional bagpackaging machine. This draws a continuous band of plastic material froma roll thereof and progressively forms this into a tube, seals one endof this tube, delivers a pre-determined quantity of the proclnot throughsaid tube into the scaled end portion thereof, and then seals the tubetransversely just above said product, and cuts the transverse area justsealed to divide it into lower and upper seals and remove the bag justformed from said tube. The first of these seals closes the upper end ofthe bag just severed from the tube. The second seal closes the lower endof the remainder of the tube in readiness to start another cycle in thebag forming, filling and sealing method automatically performedrepeatedly by said machine.

When one end of such a bag is snipped off to open the same and startusing the contents thereof, there is often a need for reclosing the bagto prevent the drying out or spoiling of a portion of the product leftin the bag.

Summary of the invention It is an object of the present invention toprovide a method of and apparatus for making such a pillow-type plasticbag which will have embodied therewith, entirely enclosed therewithin, areclosure facility which will be retained near the bag end normallyopened, and will be readily detachable from the bag, from the inside,after the latter has been opened, for use in reclosing said bag.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a method andapparatus wherein the closure facility will not interfere with theformation of or impair in any way the lengthwise and transverse sealsemployed in the manufacture of the bag.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide such a novel methodand apparatus which may be embodied with a conventional packagingmachine and may be performed incidental to the automatic performance ofthe forming, filling and scaling functions of said machine, with are1atively slight amount of modification being required in the structureof said machine.

Brief description of the drawing FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of apreferred embodiment produced by the pillow type bag of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view taken on ice the line 2-2of FIG. 1 and illustrates the manner in which a longitudinal welded seamis formed in said bag and the manner in which a reclosure facility issecured to the inner surface of the bag with said facility completelyenclosed by the latter.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the upper end of theaforesaid bag after the upper transverse welded seam thereof has beenclipped off to open said bag and a portion of the contents removed andthe reclosure facility aforesaid has also been removed from the bag andapplied to the loose neck portion of the bag to close this and thuspreserve the balance of the contents of the bag from exposure.

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrating a sheet of plastic film beingfed to a conventional packaging machine of the form, fil and seal type,and illustrates the manner in which the feeding of said material iselectrolytically controlled by the present invention to facilitate thede livery of said reclosure facility into said bag.

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic fragmentary front elevational view of the tubeforming mandrel portion of a conventional form-fill-seal packagingmachine with this modified in accordance with the present invention forthe purpose of mounting a reclosure facility entirely within each bagformed by said machine.

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic horizontal sectional view taken on the line 66of FIG. 5 and illustrates the attachment for said machine provided bythe present invention for advancing a Kwik Lok type of bag closureinside the bag forming tube being shaped by said machine as the integralforemost closure of a multi-closure strip of the Striplok type.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary detail vertical sectional view takenon the line 77 of FIG. 6 and shows the vacuum system provided forcarrying away closureconneeting Webs which are separated from saidmulticlosure strip in the process of separating the endmost closure fromsaid strip.

:FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 6 and illustrates the elements of saidmachine as positioned during the formation of a longitudinal side seamin said tube, this view also showing the activating of the means in theinvention for separating the endmost closure from said multi-closurestrip and pressing the material of said plastic tube against saidendmost closure and against an adhesive applied thereto so as to causesaid closure to adhere to the inner surface of said tube.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged detail sectional View taken on line 99 of FIG. 8and illustrates the solenoid means employed in the invention for causingsaid multi-closure strip to progress with each cycle of operation ofsaid machine to extend the endmost closure of said strip be= tween theoverlying longitudinal marginal areas of said sheet of plastic materialwhich are in overlapping relation as a result of the formation of saidtube by said machine but are still located above the level at which thelongitudinal seal is formed between said areas, thereby permitting saidclosure to be inserted between said areas and into said tube.

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary diagrammatic perspective view of a portion ofsaid conventional packaging machine with a modified form of theapparatus of the present invention incorporated therewith, this form ofsaid apparatus providing for inserting the multi-closure strip axiallylengthwise downwardly into the upper end portion of the aforesaidplastic tube as this is formed by said machine.

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on the line 11-11of FIG. 10 and shows the endmost closure of said multi-closure strip feddownwardly axially into said tube in position to have said endmostclosure removed from said strip and adhesively applied to the innersurface of said tube during the next cycle of operation of said machine.

FIG. 12 is a horizontal fragmentary sectional view taken on the line12-12 of FIG. 11.

Description of the preferred embodiment Referring specifically to thedrawings and particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, a pillow-type bag It is hereshown which is produced by a preferred embodiment of the method of andapparatus of the present invention. This bag has a tubular body 11 whichis formed by a longitudinal sheet of flexible plastic material with itsside edges wrapped around the longitudinal axis of the bag so as toprovide overlapping marginal areas 12 and 13 the first of which issuperimposed above the second and the two are then united by a heat weld14 which seals said areas together and converts the aforesaidlongitudinal sheet into said tubular body 11. As with all conventionalpillow type bags, bag it) has its lower end closed by a heat weld 15which welds back and front portions of the tubular body 11 together. Ina similar manner the upper end of bag 10 is closed by a heat weld 16after a pro-determined amount of loose product 17 has been deposited insaid bag so that the weld 16 confines said product.

The manner in which bag 10 departs significantly from the conventional,is in its having affixed to the inner surface of the tubular body 11just inside of the upper end of the bag closed by weld 16, a reclosin-gfacility 18.

In the broader aspects of the present invention, this facility maycomprise any of the well known bag closures which embrace, among others:a closure operating by means of a pressure adhesive and a closurecomprising a plastic coated wire filament which is twisted about the bagneck to close the same, or it may and preferably does comprise a closureof the type known commercially as a Kwik Lok closure which is made of asmall, approximately rectangular sheet of flat polystyrene which isstill but springy and has an internal bag closing aperture therein whichis connected with one edge of the closure by a narrow entrance opening.The application of the Kwik Lok closure to a bag is effected in any ofseveral ways but when it is done manually, the bag neck is generallybunched together, as by twisting, and the two jaws on opposite sides ofthe entrance opening of the closure are sprung apart to admit the bagneck between these and into said aperture, after which the pressure onthe closure is removed so that these jaws spring together and trap thebag neck in said aperture.

Kwik Lok closures are available commercially packaged in columns ofindividual closures or they may be had coiled in multi-closure stripform which is known as Striplok. The present invention, as disclosedherein, is particularly adapted to make use of multi-closure strip ofthe last mentioned type. Consecutive closures K are provided in thismultiple closure strip S, with consecutive closures united inlongitudinal sequence in the strip by a pair of connecting webs 25. Thepolystyrene of which the strip S is made renders these webs readilyfrangible in the areas of union between their opposite ends and theclosures K which they connect by bodily shifting one of said closuresrelative to the other so as to rotate said webs simultaneously abouttheir centers of mass. This shifting of one of said consecutive pair ofclosures relative to the other to effect such a separation of theconnecting webs from said closures and the separation of said closuresfrom each other may occur either in the plane of the strip, or it mayoccur in a direction normal to the plane of the strip and it is movementin the latter direction which is preferably utilized in the presentinvention for separation of each of the endmost closures K in a strip Sfrom the balance of the strip.

Each closure K in strip S is provided with an internal bag neckconfining aperture 26 which is connected to one edge of the closure by anarrow opening 27 through which the bag neck is admitted to s i pertuthis p g providing a pair of opposed jaws 23 on opposite sides thereofwhich spring together after the bag neck has been inserted into theaperture 26 so as to retain said neck in said aperture.

Striplok is made in two ways. In the first of these, the openings 27open longitudinally of the strip through an end edge of the closure.Alternatively, Striplok is made with the narrow openings of theindividual closures K opening laterally through side edges of theclosures. The present invention is adapted to make use of Striplok ineither of these forms although the invention is disclosed herein asemploying a multi-closure strip 3 in which the narrow openings 27 of theindividual closures are located in the end edges of the closures.

While the polystyrene of which Striplok is made is itselfthermo-plastic, and is thus susceptible of being heat welded to theplastic bag, the multi-closure strip of this type shown herein isprovided with spots of adhesive which are susceptible to the applicationof pressure thereagainst with or without heat to make a tight bond withthe element applying such pressure and which in the present invention isthe sheet of plastic material P being employed in the formation of aplastic bag 10. Two of these spots are shown as being provided on eachof the closures K, in a strip S, these spots being on the surface ofthis closure which faces outwardly towards the inner surface of theplastic material of the tube formed by the machine.

Referring now particularly to FIGS. 5 to 9 inclusive, the apparatus 30of the present invention is seen to constitute a modification of aconventional automatic packaging machine of the type, for instance,shown in the Zwoyer Patent No. 1,986,422 and which includes a vertical,hollow, fieXible-plastic-tube-forming mandrel 31. This man drel is incommunication at its upper end with a suitable product feed device whichoperates in timed relation with the formation of bags by said machine sothat each bag has delivered thereto through said mandrel apro-determined quantity of product which it is desired to package insaid bag.

Associated with said mandrel is a fleXible-sheet-plasticshaping yoke 32which is made of metal and is stationary and functions as a guide forplastic sheet 33 which is fed upwardly from the rear to said yoke from aroll of said material mounted at the rear of the machine, said yokeguiding said material as it is pulled downwardly about said mandrel sothat said material surrounds said mandrel with opposite side edges ofsaid sheet of material overlapping each other directly in front of themandrel.

The mandrel 31 has outer and inner concentric tubular walls 36 and 37which provide a free annular space 38 between said walls for thedischarge of air from a bag being formed which air is displaced by theproduct being delivered downwardly into said bag.

The outer wall 36 of mandrel 31 is provided with a relatively stiffrubber pad 3 which is located right in front of the mandrel 31 andspaced a short distance downwardly from the lower end of the shapingyoke 32. Mounted pivotally on one side of the frame 40 of the machine(as shown in said patent) so as to be shiftable horizontally toward andaway from said pad is an electrically heated longitudinal seam formingdie 41 this being mounted on the front face of an electric heater 42.

Also secured to frame 40 and supported thereon is a platform 43 on whicha coil 44- of multi-closure strip S is supported lying fiat so that saidstrip may be readily drawn from the periphery of said coil therebyrotating the latter. An arcuate guide 45 is mounted on said platform forguiding said strip along a path which terminates just to the left of thelefthand edge of pad 39 as shown in FIG. 6, and this strip guide lies inthe area between the upper end of said pad and the lower end of shapingyoke 32.

Mounted on the platform 43 is a solenoid 46 having an armature 47 whichpivotally connects at its outer end With a lever 48 one end of which ispivotally mounted at 49 on the platform 43 and the opposite end of whichhas pivotally mounted thereon a closure strip progressing dog 50, thelatter having an arm 51 which is connected by a spring 52 to arm 48 soas to bias the dog 50 into engagement with the strip S confined withinthe arcuate guide 45.

A non-reverse dog 55 is pivotally mounted at 56 on platform 43 and isbiased by spring 57 into constant engagement with strip S in said guideso as to prevent reverse movement of the strip during the intervalsbetween forward feeding movements thereof.

Pivotally mounted on a vertical pin 59 provided on electric heater a2 isa rocker fill including arms 61 and 62, said rocker being biased by aspring 63 so as to constantly maintain arm 61 in contact with thearcuate strip guide 45'. The other arm 52 is poised in spaced relationwith the position of the endmost closure K of strip S just before eachsealing operation by the seam forming die 41.

As diagrammatically shown in FIG. 4, the patented machine above referredto has means for supplying itself with a sheet 33 of flexible materialwhich travels upwardly in the direction of the arrow 64 to the pointwhere it is draped over the shaping yoke 32 and formed into a tube 65preparatory to forming the same into a pillow-type bag 16*. This bag isformed by a pair of heated jaws mounted for vertical reciprocationtogether between upper and lower positions and for horizontalreciprocation between expanded and closed positions.

in the automatic operation of said machine, these jaws rise from theirlower to their upper position while expanded and when they reach theirupper positions they automatically are closed in gripping relation withthe sheet plastic tube 65 just below the lower end of hollow mandrel 31.This forms a transverse seal for the upper end of the bag just belowsaid jaws and for the lower end of the bag to be formed just above saidjaws. A knife means is provided on one of said jaws which automaticallyoperates on the downstroke of said jaws, while they are gripping saidtube to form a seal, to sever the tube along a line midway between upperand lower edges of said seal. This serves the bag below said jaws fromthe tube and when the jaws are released at their lowermost position fromgripping relation with the tube, the lower bag gravitates onto aconveyor belt for carrying the same away and is discharged from themachine.

The plastic sheet 33 is provided lengthwise thereof with a series ofadvertising imprints which are spaced on said sheet so that one of saidimprints appears on each of the bags formed from said sheet. To controlthe location of the lower position of the gripping jaws so that theendmost imprint on sheet 33 will always be properly related with the bagsevered from the lower end of plastic tube 65, the termination of thedown movement of said jaws is always triggered by one of a series ofspots 7t provided on the sheet 34 in like relation with the severaladvertising imprints printed thereon, coming directly opposite aphotoelectric cell '71. By adjusting the position of cell 71, lengthwisewith reference to plastic sheet 33, the advertising imprints appearingon the latter sheet may be caused to be exactly registered lengthwisewith the bags formed by said machine from the terminal end portion ofsaid sheet.

coincidental with the opening of the sealing jaws at the lower end oftheir vertical travel, and the discharge of the bag just formed fromsaid machine, the electric heater 42 carrying die 41 is shifted inwardlyto compress the overlapping edge portions 34 and 35 of sheet 33 againstthe platen pad 3 so as to heat seal said flaps together throughout thevertical length of the die 41. This forms a longitudinal side seal inthe plastic tube 65 which provides the length wise heat weld 14 of eachbag to formed from said tube.

The inward movement of the electric heater 42 to form this weld, causesthe rocker till to rotate as shown in FIG. 8 causing the arm 62 thereofto press the material of plastic tube 65 against the endmost closure Kof strip S. This accomplishes two things. In the first place, thispressure is in a direction normal to the plane of the strip S at thispoint, so as to cause the fracture of the material of said strip in theareas of union between the two endmost closures of said strip and thewebs 25 connecting the same. This completely frees said pair of websfrom said closures and said closures from each other. The pressure thusapplied by arm 61 against endmost closure K is through the material ofplastic tube 65 and this material is pressed at this time against theareas on said closure occupied by adhesive spots 29 which areparticularly designed to cause strong adhesion to any material pressedthcreagainst and the pressure applied by arm 61 thus causes strongadhesion of the endmost closure K, which has just been separated fromthe multiclosure strip 5, to the inner face of plastic tube 65.

Following the separation of the heat sealing jaws at the end of theirdownward movement, the upward movement of said jaws starts automaticallyand takes place during the period that die 41 is forming the lengthwiseseam on plastic tube 65. As said sealing jaws arrive at their upperlimit of movement and are caused to move into closed sealing position onsaid plastic tube, the electric heater 42 and die ll. mounted thereonare automatically retracted from engagement with the plastic tube 65 asshown in PEG. 6.

The apparatus 30 of the present invention includes a photoelectric cell72 which is located upwardly from photoelectric cell 71 so as to betriggered by one of the spots '70- just as electric heater d2. withdrawsfrom its sealing position shown in FIG. 8 to its non-sealing positionshown in FIG. 6. Cell 72 is connected through a suitable relay with theelectric circuit of solenoid 46 so that when that circuit is triggeredby the energizing of cell 72 by a spot 7t this solenoid actuates thestrip feed dog 50 to cause the latter to feed strip S the distance ofthe length of one closure K beyond the end of arcuate strip guide 45 asshown in FIG. 6.

In the apparatus 30, the annular space 38 in mandrel 31 accommodates atube 73 which connects at its lower end with an opening 74 in the outerwall 36 of mandrel 31 and a suitable evacuating pump (not shown) isconnected to tube 73 so as to extract the air from said tube and suckinto and through said tube all webs 25 which are separated from closurestrip S in the operation of said apparatus.

Upon the ale-energizing of solenoid 46 this operates by theself-contained spring therein to return feed dog 58 to its retractedposition in which this is shown in FIG. 8.

A complete cycle of operation of the apparatus 33 has now beendescribed. It is to be understood, that this apparatus continues toautomatically repeat the performance of this cycle.

The location in the machine 39 at which a closure K is introduced intothe plastic tube 65 and caused to adhere to the inner surface thereof,is such that this closure will always be just below the upper end ofeach bag made by said machine as is shown in FIG. 1 and to one side ofthe lengthwise heat weld 14 of said bag. A suitable range of variationsin the length of the bag which can thus be made on a conventional form,fill and seal packaging machine is offered the operator by the choicegiven of setting the machine so that 3, 4 or 5 bags can be made from thelength of tube 65 extending from the level at which the closure K isinserted into said tube and the lowermost point of travel of thetransverse tube sealing jaws of the machine.

Referring now to FIGS. 10, 11, and 12, a modified form of the apparatusof the invention is here shown which provides for introducing themulti-closure strip S vertically downwardly outside the mandrel 31 butinside the throat of shaping yoke 32 and to one side of the longitudinalseam forming die 41 and then separating the endmost closure K from thelower end of said strip and adhesively applying the same to the innersurface of the plastic tube 65 in a similar manner as above describedfor the preferred embodiment of the invention. This modified apparatus,which is designated in the drawings by the numeral fit), makes use ofthe same conventional packaging machine as the preferred form of theapparatus above described, with the following distinctions. Parts inapparatus as corresponding to like parts in the preferred apparatus willbe referred to by the same reference numerals with prime attached.

The outer tubular Wall 36' of apparatus 39 has a stiff rubber platen pad39' recessed therein the upper end of which pad terminates just abovethe upper end of the longitudinal seam forming die 41. Incorporated withthe outer surface of tubular wall 36 is a shallow strip guide 45 theupper end portion of which is broken away in FIG. 10. This guide curvesoutwardly and is supplied with a coil 44' of strip S which is fed alongguide 45 in the same manner that the strip is fed in the preferredembodiment of the invention described above.

The lower end of strip guide 45' terminates so that when the endmostclosure K of the strip is extended just beyond the lower end of saidguide, said closure is located between the lower end of shaping yoke 32'and the upper end of longitudinal seam forming die 41'. Formed in theouter surface of tubular wall 36 is a wedge-shaped recess 81 with thedeepest end of this recess disposed just below the lower end of thestrip guide 45'. The electric heater 42 of apparatus 86 carries avertical pin 59' on which a rocker 60' is mounted which is similar torocker 6b in that it has arms 61 and 62' the first of which carries aroller 82 which is biased into constant engagement with a frame element83 by a spring 63'. Arm 62 is provided on its outer end with a pressurehead 84 which is shaped so as to fit into recess 81 when, in theoperation of the machine, electrical heater 4-2 is shifted into seamforming position. Each time this takes place, in the automatic operationof the apparatus 80, it Will be just following the feeding of the stripS one closure-length downwards so that the endmost closure K of thestrip will be positioned opposite wedge-shaped recess 81 as shown inFIG. 11 so that the inward movement of head 84 will crack the areas ofunion at opposite ends of the two webs connecting the lowermost closureK with the closure next thereabove and will press the material of theplastic tube 65 against the adhesive spots 29 on the endmost closure Kand will thus free this closure from the strip S and unite it with theinner surface of said plastic tube. In the apparatus 80 the strip feedmechanism is identical with that in the preferred apparatus and is thuscaused to advance the strip S downwardly the length of a single closurejust after the seam forming die 41' has been shifted out of engagementwith plastic tube 65 I and the transverse sealing jaws have gripped theplastic tube 65 and pulled this downwardly a sufficient distance toremove the closure K just applied to said tube, from the wedge-shapedrecess 81.

From the above description of modified apparatus 80, it is believedclear that this offers an alternative means for producing thepillow-type bag 10 which is as fully operative as the preferred form ofapparatus previously described. It is to be understood that the rockers6t) and 60' described as embodied in said two forms of the apparatus aremounted directly on electric heaters 42 or 42 and the pressure face ofeach of these rockers is hot when it is applied to the plastic tube 65to press this against the endmost closure K of the strip S so that thispressure not only separates said closure from said strip but heats upthe adhesive in the spots 29 on said closure so as to weld the latter inthe inner surface of said plastic tube.

The claims are:

l. A method of manufacturing a bag of a flexible thin sheet plasticmaterial such as polyethylene or the like with a self-contained devicefor reclosing said bag after me latter has been closed and thensubsequently opened which includes the steps of: advancing a relativelylong sheet of said material lengthwise of said sheet in a givendirection, bringing opposite edges of said sheet into overlappingrelation, as said sheet is soadvanced, to form a tube of said material,adhesively attaching said reclosure device to a surface of said sheet ofmaterial which will ultimately constitute an inner surface of said bagwithin an area on said surface which will be located in a uniformselected position relative to a particular end of said bag and entirelywithin the same, sealing said opposite edges together to form alengthwise seam for said bag, transversely sealing said tube to form thebottom of said bag, and cutting said tube transversely a given distancefrom said transverse seal and above the location of said reclosurefacility therein to sever said bag from said tube and entirely confinessaid closure within said bag.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said reclos ure deviceattaching step takes place prior to the lengthwise seam formingoperation.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said reclosure deviceattaching step takes place after said sheet side edges are inoverlapping relation by extending said reclosure device between saidoverlapping sheet side edges and into said tube formed from said sheet,and applying the same adhesively to the inner surface of said tubev 4. Amethod of manufacturing a series of separate individually closed bagsfrom a sheet of flexible thin plastic material such as polyethylene orthe like, and packaging a given quantity of loose product together witha bag reclosing device in each of said bags, said method including thesteps of: advancing said sheet lengthwise in a downward direction,bringing opposite edges of said sheet into overlapping relation, as saidsheet is so advanced, applying said bag reclosing devices adhesively tosaid sheet as it is being converted into bags, whereby one of saiddevices will be entirely confined within each of said bags, when thelatter is completed, with said device adhering to the inner surface ofthe material of said bag near a particular end thereof, sealing saidopposite edges of said sheet together to form a tube of said material,transversely sealing said tube to form the bottom of the first bag,delivering a measured quantity of said product downwardly through saidtube into said first bag, transversely sealing said tube tosimultaneously seal the top of the first bag and the bottom of thesecond bag, severing the last mentioned seal to separate the portionsthereof pertaining to said first bag and said second bag and separatesaid first bag from said tube, and repeating the aforesaid steps tocontinue said bag forming, filling and closing operation.

5. In a plastic bag form-fill-seal packaging machine which receives asheet of thermo-plastic material from a roll of the same andcontinuously shapes this about a hollow mandrel with side edges of saidsheet overlapping and forms a longitudinal seam by heat sealing saidoverlapping edges together, to form a plastic tube, and thensuccessively draws said tube downwardly from said mandrel to form asuccession of bags into each of which a quantity of loose product is feddownwardly through said mandrel and enclosed within said bag whensealing the top end of the latter, the combination of: means actuatedcoordinately with the mechanism of said machine for introducing a seriesof reclosure facilities into said plastic tube as the latter is beingformed by said machine and causing the adhesion of said reclosurefacilities separately to the inner surface of said tube and inlengthwise spaced relation during the continuous sequential cyclicoperation of said machine, whereby a reclosure facility is uniformlypositioned entirely inside each of said bags and secured to said bagnear a particular end thereof assigned for the opening of said bagwhereby said reclosure facility is available when said bag is opened, asby clipping said end therefrom, for removal from said bag andapplication to the open end of the latter for reclosing said bag.

6. A combination as recited in claim 5 wherein said facility comprises afiat, sheet, internally apertured bag closure with a narrow edge openingthrough which the neck of a bag may be inserted into said aperture andwherein means is provided for automatically feeding a strip embodying amultiplicity of said closures sequentially arranged, through the spacebetween edge portions of said sheet of plastic material after the latterhas been given the shape of a plastic tube but prior to the heat sealingof said edge portions together; and means operated in timed relationwith the functioning of said machine, to separate the endmost closurefrom said strip, after said closure has been thus inserted into saidplastic tube, and secure said closure to the inner surface of said tube.

7. A combination as recited in claim 5 wherein said facility comprises afiat sheet internally apertured bag closure with a narrow edge openingthrough which the i said strip extends axially between said mandrel andsaid sheet at the point of said conversion; and means operated in timedrelation with the functioning of said machine, to separate the endmostclosure from said strip, after said closure has been thus inserted intosaid plastic tube, and secure said closure to the inner surface of saidtube.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,815,620 12/1957 Prodigo 53-142,829,791 4/1958 Berst 53-14 3,157,312 11/1964 Kitterman 53-l4 X WILLIAMW. DYER, JR., Primary Examiner.

